Saturday, October 11, 2008

Replace FEAR With CALM - work on solution

Whenever I help a child who has gotten themselves stuck in something (arm stuck through banister posts and won't come out, jump rope twisted tightly around arm, climbed too high on playground equipment and afraid to come down, etc. - you can imagine the situations) I always tell them this story while I calmly work to free them:

When I was a little girl in 5th grade, I was swinging on the swing set in my backyard. I was alone. I was playing on the rings (not a swing) and somehow got myself all turned upside down and got my feet and legs all tangled up in the chains ABOVE me. I was hanging upside down and I was afraid!! I called and CALLED to my mom to come rescue me! I YELLED out for my mom to come and free me and let me loose! I yelled and yelled -- but no one came. Then, I was MAD. Why wasn't anyone coming to help me? Why wasn't I being rescued? I was afraid. I was still alone. So, I calmed down. Calllllllllllmed down. I reached my hands up toward the chains and got my body up in a higher position, so the chains loostened. I worked myself out of the tangle of chains, and then I jumped down to the ground. I was free! I rescued myself by being CALM and WORKING ON A SOLUTION.

I learned that anything that happens can UNhappen. If you get yourself INTO a fix, you can get yourself OUT of a fix -- if you stay calm and work on a solution.

By this point in my story, the child I am assisting is no longer crying, and sometimes is even laughing! Picturing May, Jane and Irene's MOM in such an entanglement as a KID is a funny image! LOL!

I am hoping that each time I impart this story, and help them get out of their own mess, that each kid learns to STAY CALM AND WORK ON THE SOLUTION the next time they are in a jam.

Every situation you get into, you can get out of.

If you get STUCK you can get UNSTUCK.

I wish I could impart my story to our country's financial leaders and to EVERY person who has a financial investment of any sort in this country. To each person involved in any way with the stock market.

If we would leave the fear and panic, and REMAIN CALM and WORK ON A SOLUTION, then I feel that our country's financial situation would improve immediately.

3 comments:

Debby said...

We had a school bus accident here last week. Unfortunately, one girl died, but the other 15 or so kds made it off the bus safely. A 14 yr old boy said that the only thing that kept going through his head was REMAIN CALM or you could die. He was even able to free the driver, who panicked & could not get out of her safety belt.

There were alot of heroes that day, people who stopped to pull kids off a bus engulfed in flames, a mother who happened on to the site, did not see her kids, & rushed onto the burning bus to find them unconscious in the aisles & dragged them out herself.

A tragedy, but they were so lucky that anyone survived it, not to mention all but one.

Thanks for the reminder again.

Debby
mom to Lindsi & Jami

Jerri said...

Thank you for the reminder. I need to say it to my girls more often and assure them that if they remain calm they can find the answers.

I do not understand our leaders buying into the hysteria the press has helped perpetuate. It makes me angry and I turn off the TV, skip that part of the newspaper, and am waiting till I can read the information without buying into the alarm.

One of my co-workers did not believe me when I told them things would work out and be fine on any number of the events we plan here. She is slowly learning that I am right, that regardless of the amount of worry, it does not change the end result. Planning well and remaining calm work.

You are so smart and such an inspiration! Thank you Holly for being there time after time!

Holly said...

What a horrible accident, Debby! And, for that mom to come upon it and rescue her own kids. Wow! I cannot imagine.
-Holly